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Shell
chief delivers global warming warning to Bush in his own
back yard
Terry
Macalister
Wednesday March 12, 2003
The Guardian
Shell chairman Sir Philip Watts risks stirring
up a controversy in America today when he calls for global
warming sceptics to get off the fence and accept that
action needs to be taken "before it is too late".
At a presentation in Houston, the back yard of ExxonMobil,
one of the most vocal antagonists to the Kyoto climate
change treaty, the British oilman will say "we can't
wait to answer all questions [on global warming]
beyond reasonable doubt", adding "there is compelling
evidence that climate change is a threat".
Sir Philip expresses deep concern about the growing
gulf between Europe and America over climate change
and other issues - most notably Iraq. His purpose, he
says, is not to create further discord but to argue
for both sides to work together to remove what he describes
as "the lingering animosity".
Shell and BP have been keen over the past couple of
years to be seen as progressive on green issues while
ExxonMobil has been labelled a fossil fuel dinosaur
by environmentalists.
President Bush refused to sign the Kyoto protocol on
global warming and Texas - based ExxonMobil has been
a significant cheerleader for this position - although
it, too, has been researching renewable technologies.
Sir Philip's speech at the opening of a new Shell Center
for Sustainability at Rice University in Houston shows
the group's determination to be seen as a moderniser.
"We know that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities
... largely burning fossil fuels ... bring about long-lasting
atmospheric changes likely to affect climate. And our
world does appear to be warming.
"There are huge uncertain ties about the risks and
the impact. Further research is essential. But we can't
wait to answer all questions beyond reasonable doubt.
There will always be uncertainty which we need to cope
with."
Shell has "seen and heard enough" to believe there
is a problem related to the burning of fossil fuels.
Because of this "we stand with those who are prepared
to take action to solve that problem ... now ... before
it is too late ... and we believe that businesses, like
Shell, can help to bridge differences that divide the
US and Europe on this issue".
Shell has been pushing ahead with its own investments
in wind, solar and other renewable fuel sources but
still believes that hydrocarbons will not become scarce
at least until 2025 - and probably quite long after
that.
And Sir Philip argues that "sustained expansion of
renwable energy" will only start after developments
in energy storage around the same period of 2025.
It will be only by the middle of this century that
renewables will take a serious grip on energy supply,
possibly providing a third of the world's needs by 2050.
Sir Philip argues there is no quick fix, with many hurdles
to overcome before renewables can offer affordable mass
energy.
"Flying over for this speech, I had the distinct impression
that the Atlantic is getting wider. Today the focus
of that rift is on Iraq. But differences over environmental
issues have hardened attitudes," Sir Philip argues.
"With a $30bn footprint in the United States and a
similar presence in Europe, we have a vested interest
in the best possible relations on both sides of the
Atlantic," he adds.
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